Shift-key mechanism.



H. ETHERIDGE.

. sum KEY MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. I916- Patented Sept. 12,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

I v llll IH L AL III I I :7 mil 1 VV'rLbigsses Men/607" H. ETHERIDGE.

SHIFT KEY MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, I916- Patented Sept. 12, 1916. 2 SHEE'|:SSHEET 2.

HERBERT ETHEEIDGE,

GE EALENG, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOB T THE BAR-LOCK TYPE'WEITEH QQFL'ZEANZ LEKVIETED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SHEET-KEY MECHANISM.

swim

Application filed hiarch 22, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT Ernnmccn, a subject of the King of England, residing at Ealing, London, W. England, have inas required.

According to this invention, there is employed in combination, a vertically placed segment or type-bar frame having supporting ears near the top, vertical lifting-rods operatively engaged with these ears and extending down near to the bottom of the machine, and a long horizontal lifting-arm for each rod pivoted at one end to the lower. end of the rod and at the other end to a fixed part of the machine, the shift-key having operative connection with said rods and lifting-arms to raise and lower-the typebar segment. I

' rods are situated near the upper ends or" the rods and are of comparatively small Preferably the bearings for the liftingdepth, so that they allow a slight swinging movement of the said rods these rise and fall, the type-bar segment being held with.

same.

A catch may be pivoted to part fixed relatively to the base ofthe machine and arranged to lock the type-bar segment down against upward movement, such catch having operative engagement with the shiftkey lever and the arrangement being such that movement of the lever for raising the type-bar segment displaces the catch prior left hand portion of the showing the supporting means thereior;

to upward movement being imparted to the ty e-bar segment.

Tn the accompanying drawings which illustrate one method of carrying out this invention :Figure l is a front view of the type-bar segment Fig. 2 is a plan of the right-hand end of Specification 51* Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916. serial No. 85,304.

the segment together with the operating being a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

and the lower 33 of Fig. 2.

The same letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.

The segment A is slotted at A in the usual manner for receiving the type-bars, and is vertically placed sothat the typebars when at rest lie. in an approximately horizontal position. The segment is provided near the top with supporting ears A A one at each end, and rigidly secured t0.these are depending rods B, B respecportion a section on the line tively. Secured to a fixed part of the machine, indicated in the drawings by portions X of the side frames, are plates A, A, one on each side frame, to serve as bearings for the upper ends of the rods B, B which extend through the said plates. The bottom ends of these rods are each connected to shift-key mechanism, the parts of which are duplicated on the two sides of themachine, so that for the purpose of the present specification that situated on the right-hand side of the machine and connected to the rod B only will be described. The base of the rod B is pivoted at B to one end of an arm C which extends rearwardly from the rod in an approximately horizontal position and is secured to a rocking bar C The rocking bar extends across the machine and is pivoted'at C to the frame-member X 011 one side and is similarly pivoted to the corresponding framemember on the other side of the machine. On the left-hand side of the machine a second arm, corresponding to the arm C, is provided, and these two arms are braced together by a tie-rod C The arms C, has an upward extension C which is turned over at C to provide a plate. This plate is engaged by a catch D which pivots freely on a transverse rod D extending from side to side of the machine.

tween the side walls of the machine and the pin E is provided by the end of a screw E which is screwed into the end of the shiftkey from the opposite side of the key to that at which the pin E projects. This screw is shouldered .and made to carry a roller E which lies vertically beneath the arm C.

The arm C, which, as has been described, is situated on the right-hand side of the machine, is rigidly braced by means of the rocking bar G and the transverse tie-rod C to a corresponding arm on the left-hand side of the machine, as has already been described, and this left-hand arm is pivoted to the rod B. Similarly a catch corresponding to the catch D is provided on the left-hand side of the machine and is rigidly braced to the catch 1) on the right-hand side by a transverse bar D The catch on the.

left-hand side of the machine is engaged with a shift-key corresponding to .the shiftkey E, all these duplicate parts lying exactly behind those shown in Fig. 3 and in every way corresponding to them. A spring F connects the arm 0 with a fixed part 'of' the frame X and a similar spring is provided on the left-hand side of the machine for. the

arm corresponding to the arm C, these two springs serving to, in part, counterbalance the weight of the segment A and its associated parts.

From this ated that if either shift-key is presse down, the segment A will be lifted. When a key, say the key E, is pressed down, the first swings the catch D back so that its upper end is clear of the plate C on the arm 0. This release of the catchtakes place before the roller E is raised far enough to strike'the bottom of the arm C, so that by the time it is brought into contact with the said arm, the arm is free to rise. Further movement of the key E then lifts the arm C and thus raises the rod B The catch corresponding to the catch D on the other side of the machine has been simultaneously released with the catch D by meansof the connecting bar-D and the arm corresponding to the arm' C of the rocking-bar C rises ,with the arm C through the rigid connection it has with the latter by means of the rocking bar C and the strut C", so that the.

rod B will rise simultaneously with the rod 13 and the segment will be lifted. As the segment rises, the rods B, B slide through the plates A, A; Their movement is not strictly vertical owing to the arc struck by thelifting-member constituted by the rocking bar C and the arms thereon, but by situating the parts so the arm C and its corresponding arm are slightly dropped when the segment is in the lowest position and slightly raised when the segment is in its highest position, and by arrested.

. through the plates description it will be apprecid nuts which bear against the ears A A are that the forward ends of using comparatively thin plates so that t bearings for the rods are of little depth placing these at the tops of the rods, it i: found that the desired movement can be feoted by allowing a slight amount of lateral play of the rods in the bearings, which play, however, is so little that it does not affect the. positioning of the segment. Further, should be noted'that in the lowered position, the rods B again are vertical so that the segment is always in proper alinement with the other parts of the machine whether it is raised or lowered.

It will furtherbe observed that the arms C are mad .long compared with the amount of movement required so that the rods B are only slightly oscillated during the raising and lowering movements.

To limit the upper and lower positions of the segment, adjusting screws H, H and H H are provided. The screws H, H are screwed into the ears A A respectively and locked by nuts on the upper side. The heads of the screws which are downward, butt against the bearing-plates A, A and thus constitute a stop for the segment for the lower position. These screws can be readily adjusted to bring the segment to the precise position at which it is required to be C from the under-side and screwed into the ears A A and lock.-

The screws H position t is required to take for operations when raised.

It will be observed that the connections between the shift-key E and the catch D 'are such as to positively operate the catch in both directions, so that the mechanism is positively released when the key is depressed and positively locked when the hey is again allowed to assume the raised position under the action of the usual spring control, not shown in the drawings.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a typewriter shift-key mechanism the combination of, a movable segmental type-bar segment so placed that its circle ing supporting ears near the top, liftingrods operatively engaged with these cars and extending down toward the base of the machine, two long horizontal liftingarms pivoted at their rear ends to a fixed part lies-in a vertical plane, said segment havrods at their forward ends one-"to the.

lower end of one rod and the other to the lower end of the other red, heeringnienr bers for the lifting-rods situated near the upper ends of the rods end opposed one to each of the ears of the type -oer segment so that each ear and the opposed hearing member constitute a pair of elements whereof one recedes and approaches the other as the segment rises and falls, two adjustingscrews one carried by one element cfeech of these pairs and projecting toward the other element so that it" butts against the same when the frame is lowered, and shift-key having operative connection with the aforesaid rods and lifting-arms to raise type-oer segment, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In a typewriter shift-key mechanism the combination of, a movable segmental type-her segment so placed that its circle lies 2, vertical plane, said segment having supporting ears near the top, liftingrods ope'retivelv engaged with these ears and extending down toward the lease of the machine, two long horizontal lifting-arms ';.)ivotcd at their rear ends to e fined'pei't of the machine at the rear of the eioresaidi rods and at their forward.- ends one to the wer end of one rod and the other to the ver end of the other rod, hearing-memoers for the lifiing-rcds situated near the ripper ends of the rods and opposed one to each of the ears of the type-her segment so:

that each ear and the opposed bearingmember constitute a pair oi elements where of one recedesnnd approaches the other esthe segment rises and falls, two adjustingscrews one carried by one element of each of these pairs and projecting toward the other element so that it buttethe same when the segment is lowered, tweedditional adjusting screws one carried by one element of each of these pairs and cooper uting with the other element to limit the distance to which one element can he moved away from the other, and a shift?" 7 hm ing operative connection with the aforesaid rods and iii i germs to raise the typebar segment, euhe entielly as end for the purpose set iorth.

3. In a typewriter shift-key mechanism Jhe combination of," a movable segmental type-bur segment so placed that its circle lies in a vertical plane said segment having supporting ears near the top, lifting rods operatively engaged with these cars and extending down toward the base of the machine, two long horizontal lifting-arms piv-- oted at their rear ends to a, fixed part of the machine t the rear of the aforesaid rodsend at their forward ends one to the lower end of one rod and the other to the lower on of the other rod, bearing-members ior the lifting-rods situated near the upper ends of the rods and o posed oneto each of. the cars of the type-her segment so that each ear and the opposed heeringniemher constitute a pair of eiements whereof one recedes and approaches the other as the segment rises and fails, two adjusting-screws one carried by one element of each of these pairs and projecting toward the other element so that it butts against the same when the segment is lowered, two further adjustingscrews one carried by one element of each of these pairs and projecting toward and through the other element, each screw having an enlargement on the other side of the element it projects through so that the said enlargement limits the degree of movement oi the one element away from. the other, and a shift-key he 'ing operative connection with the aforesaid rods and. liftingcrms to raise the type-her segment, substantially as ,and

for the purpose set forth. 1

l. In av typewriter shift-key mechanism the combination of, a movahietype-bar segment so placed that its circle lies in a vertical plane, said segment having supporting ears near-the top, lifting-rods operatively engaged with these ears and extending down toward the base of the machine, two iong liorizontei lifting-arms pivoted zit-their rear ends to a fixed pert oi the machine the rear of the aforesaid rods and at their ice ward ends one to the lower end of one red and the other to the lower end of the other rod, a shift-keyv having operative connection with the said rods and lifting-arms to raise the type-bar segment, and e catch pivoted apart fined reietively to the base of t machine and operative to lock the rods and gifting-arms down against upward move merit, the! said catch having operative en; gagement with the shift-hey and the Shift", key having a predetermined amount of lostmbtion relatively to the rods and lifting-- arms so that the catch is displaced hetero the shifthey commences to move the said rods and shms, substantieiiy .es and for the purpose set forth. V f 5., In e typewriter shii tdtey mechanism the combination of, a movable typeer seg meet so placed that its circle lies in a verticel piano, seid segme t ieving supporting 'eers near the top, lifting-rods operetively engaged with these ears and extending down toward the base of the machine, two long horizontal lifting-arms pivoted at their rear ends to a fixed part of the machine at the rear of the aforesaid rods and at their forurd ends one to the lower end of one rod and the other to the lower end of the other rod, e shifhkey having operative connection with the said rods and lifting-arms to raise the type-bar segment, and a catch pivcted to e pert fixed relatively to the base of the machine and arranged. to lock. the rods and arms down against upward @IlQVGfilfiIlt, said catch having an arm positively engaged with the shift-key, said shift-key having a limitcc'i amount of lost-motion beicre' engag ing the rods and arms so that the catch is first displaced when the key 3; depr'eased substantially as and for the purpese sci forth.

T have signa x: s specxficai an m the presence 61. 1 two euhscfimng wltnessesg; 

